Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

There are two sides to every break up.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney - for a girl he met on the Internet. 

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la - this is Courtney pretending not to care. 

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot. 

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other. 

 - Good Reads

Review after the break...

I don't know about you, but I have a really nasty habit of selecting a book to read and immediately going to Good Reads to see the star ratings and reactions. This has ruined countless books and authors for me (The Mortal Instruments, The Iron Fey, The Knife of Never Letting Go, etc.,etc.) because I go into a reading experience with one of two mindsets: A.) this book will either change my life, blow my mind or both, OR B.) I will be absolutely shocked by the awful writing and want to strangle the characters. In both situations, I typically end up disliking the book because the story did not live up to my ridiculously high expectations or I have bought into the negative criticism surrounding the book before forming my own opinions. The solution to this problem is to stay far, far away from Good Reads/Youtube/blogs/etc. until I have finished the book in question and, after years of disappointment I am very proud to announce that I have finally done just that!

Enter - Lauren Barnholdt's Two-Way Street. I picked this book up at my county's public library sale for a grand total of a quarter simply because I thought that the author's name looked familiar. I had no idea what the story was about and hadn't even looked up the average star rating on Good Reads before throwing it in my bag and heading into work. Needless to say, I ended up finishing this book in four hours and loving it.
Two-way Street is a perfect summer read - it is light, romantic, funny, drama-filled and sweet. And, because I've had my fill of fairies, vampires and werewolves... this chick-lit story was exactly what I needed.

Two-way Street is told from both of the main characters' points of view - Jordan and Courtney - as they attempt to survive a three day road trip with each other only weeks after a nasty and unexpected break up. The story shifts between the "present" and the "before" (meaning, before the trip which sets up their relationship and gives some back story). Because the two time lines take place in very different parts of Jordan and Courtney's relationship, I found myself on the edge of my seat because I was desperate to figure out what caused their break up and anxious to see what would happen to them in the present time line.

I also loved both of their voices. As the synopsis above mentioned, Jordan and Courtney were one of those couples who people never understood because they simply came from different worlds. Jordan is your typical party boy who lives for the weekends, drinking and his next female conquest while Courtney is detail obsessed, slightly dramatic and totally inexperienced when it comes to guys. The contrast in their personalities made the story that much more entertaining and, because they're an underdog couple, made you want them to work out all of their problems.

I do have to give a bit of a warning - there is offensive language, allusions to drinking and drugs, and sexual references. But, other than that, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sarah Dessen-type novels. This is definitely a summery read!

Have you read any books by Lauren Barnholdt? Which?! I want more!

Happy reading!

- Alyssa